More Than a Friend, a Duck

A common word that may not usually be exchanged by friends to refer to one another is the word duck. Yet, me and my friend Susan always use duck whenever saying hi, or just as an informal slang word that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Sluffy, a nickname I gave her, is a funny, quirky girl who sometimes wears pretty rainbow or pink wigs, and has a perfect slightly crooked smile. Often she likes to provide people with facts on Japanese words, different types of animes, or uncomfortable topics. She definitely has a hand at writing, coming up with amazing plot twists and arcs to put in stories she has written. She’s also exceedingly proficient with drawing anime and ponies on the computer, taking a couple days at a time. Another factor about her is that she can kind of be like a mother at some points. A lot of the time we’ll stay up late on Skype, and she always tells me “It’s getting pretty late, young lady” which is code for “get to bed”. A lot of the time though, even after complimenting continually, she will not accept the fact of how well she can write or of her vast knowledge on certain subjects, or how well she can draw. I see her as an incredible friend, teacher, inspiration, and over all a fascinating individual. Sluffy is an amazing person throughout due to ordeals she has faced and how caring she can truly be.

Even though Sluffy is the cool person she is, she has had some rough times. In her freshman year of high school she dated a boy, whom at first was the perfect guy, and yet as the relationship continued, more of his true intentions unraveled. The boy out of all his friends was the only virgin and decided that he would pick a girl of his opinion that seemed ‘easy’ and tried to force her to have sex with him through persuasion. Although, Sluffy was smarter and stronger than that, she walked away choosing not to partake in it after talking to her mother about the situation. She didn’t rationalize the situation since his persuasion was so strong, but she overcame that. She was hurt badly, but she learned from the experience and moved on, becoming better from it. Also through 4th grade and dipping into her middle school life she was often bullied. Sluffy befriended an outcast, who was mostly made fun as a lesbian, and in turn she was a called a lesbian as well even though she is not one. Slowly after that, she soon realized the poor girl had been bullied outside of school as well. It escalated to the point that the girl she knew had to move to Florida, being left alone to face the aftermath. The attackers of the two now only had Sluffy left to take down and began to make fun of everything they could find from weight, glasses, black clothes, and her newfound love for anime. Though it progressed from name-calling to serious offenses. In middle school whenever Sluffy suddenly made a friend or had a boyfriend, the people who antagonized her made a fake AIM account, and spoke to her friends, saying nasty sexual remarks to them while pretending to be Sluffy. They made a note and put it in her binder of girls she knew with sexual references to each one of them. They also acquired her house phone number and impersonated her boyfriend. Even though life was a living hell for her, she persevered through it by making sure to consult adults like her mother, guidance counselor, and police for help. I find it extremely admirable that she was able to endure such harsh times yet still be so positive and lively today. Normally those whom are affected by a traumatic experience have a pessimistic outlook, but Sluffy is still the cheery person she always is.

Sluffy is also a genial, and kind person. Most of the time when I’m gloomy or feeling dejected, she’s there by my side, and gives the most helpful advice. She’ll make funny jokes or distractions like talking about anime that we have watched recently, or recommending certain animes to one another. She even told me that the Devil May Cry series had a show created for it, which was a big deal for me. Then we kind of just reminisce over funny jokes or contemplations that are regarded within the fandom so that I’m no longer sad. Somehow she always knows how to make me happy even without knowing it. Even when I accidently fall asleep on her on Skype, she’ll not care one bit!

Sluffy is the extraordinary person she is because she has faced so much, and yet can graciously offer advice and support. Even though she was hurt so many times by the devils around her she still has the motivation to move forward and learn from her mistakes. She is a huge role model, teacher, advisor, friend, and duck to me. Without her, I don’t know where I’d be in life without her help.

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